


Sweet, Sweet Blood

by Rilliane



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Bloodplay, F/M, Humor, Implied/Referenced Incest, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Romance, Tags may seem heavy but it's actually supposed to be light
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-10-26 21:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10795500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rilliane/pseuds/Rilliane
Summary: Becoming a bounty hunter seemed like a good idea at the time, but it definitely didn't pay off in the long run. Monsters were few and far between, while his rent wasn't going to take care of itself.Seriously reconsidering his life choices, Suzaku Kururugi finds himself looking for a new job.And then he runs into vampires.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The Vampire AU I always wanted to do.  
> Before we begin, I have a few things to say about pairings in this story- now, I know it says Suzalulu up there, and it IS going to be the main pairing, but... you should also expect lots of teasing/hinting towards other actual/past relationships. Also, the possibility of incest. Fair warning.  
> In other words, just to give you an example, neither Milly/Lelouch nor Milly/Suzaku is entirely off the table. Not saying it will happen, but...  
> If you're okay with that, then here we go...

The first time Suzaku had any contact with the supernatural world, he had watched his father die.

The day had started like any other- it was Sunday, so he went with his cousin Kaguya to the sunflower field, where they played for hours and returned exhausted but content. By the time he got back, the sun had already set, and Suzaku could see lights flaring up in the windows of his house.

There, sitting under the Sakura tree, was a woman. She had beautiful long white hair flowing down her back, pale skin that looked almost white, and striking blue eyes. She wore a loose white dress over her lithe body, and Suzaku had to wonder if she wasn’t cold- the autumn was approaching, and the days weren’t getting any warmer.

When he got closer, the woman raised her head, staring him straight in the eyes, and Suzaku suddenly felt uncomfortable. Who was this woman to sit so casually in front of his house? Was she his father’s friend?

Deciding that being polite was probably the best option, Suzaku slowly walked over to the tree and said awkwardly: “Um, hello. Are you waiting for someone?”

The woman blinked owlishly before her face broke into a smile, and in that moment Suzaku decided that she was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever met.

“Indeed,” she said, tilting her head. “I am in need of assistance, but Lord Kururugi doesn’t seem to want to help me.”

Suzaku frowned. His father wasn’t one to refuse help for anyone. If he did, he probably had a good reason, but… How could he refuse help for this woman? She looked so beautiful and innocent, it seemed like almost a crime to refuse her anything.

Before he got a chance to voice his concerns, the door to the house blasted open, revealing his father and Taizo Kirihara, both armed with long katanas.

Suzaku gaped. The last time he had seen his father with a katana was five years ago, when he presented him with their family’s heritage. Never once had they sparred- it was always Todoh, teaching him everything the son of a Japanese prime minister ought to know. Up until now, he wasn’t even sure if his father knew kendo.

“Suzaku!” Genbu’s face creased in a furious expression, his hand tightening around the sword. “Get back here! NOW!”

The boy felt taken aback, stumbling a few steps. Never had he seen his father so angry- his eyes were practically blazing, and the killing intent was going off in waves. Acting on instinct, he took a step forward, only to be stopped by a delicate hand on his shoulder.

“Ah, Prime Minister,” the woman’s delicate voice suddenly made Suzaku shudder, and he tried to break away but her grip turned out surprisingly firm. “How about you join us here. We can talk, then.”

“Let go of him,” Genbu all but snarled, shifting his feet as if to dart forward but never quite moving from his spot in the door. "Or I swear…"

“You swear?” The woman laughed, digging her nails into Suzaku’s shoulder and making him wince. “We both know that you won’t be fast enough.”

Getting tenser with each passing second, Suzaku shot an alarmed look at his father. The man looked ready to lunge at the woman at any moment, but was still, for some reason, hesitating.

The woman, on the other hand, seemed to be as relaxed as ever. Her hand wandered up Suzaku’s neck, eventually resting on his cheek, and the cool touch sent shivers down the boy's spine. Her head bent down to his neck, breathing over his skin, and Suzaku felt frozen in place. 

“Such a nice smell,” the woman murmured, caressing his skin. “I bet you taste just as nice. Or maybe I should take you with me…”

The next thing he knew, Suzaku was sent flying back, hitting the tree with such a force that for a moment he could see stars. When he regained some of his senses, the porch was filled with men, all armed with katanas and some with firearms, running almost in amok and shouting amongst each other.

He tried to focus and find his father, but all he could see were flashes of white and then red, and then a body hit the ground, and Suzaku discovered that he was screaming.

In the next instant, he was gazing into blood-red eyes while a hand clenched around his throat and lifted him up in the air, making him gasp for air.

The world around him swirled, and Suzaku didn’t even register when his body once again hit the ground. One of the last things he saw before his vision went completely black was something round and white and red rolling across the ground, while something much bigger thumped in the grass next to him.

* * *

 

 Seven years older and none the wiser, Suzaku Kururugi decided that he was in a serious need of a job. While becoming a bounty hunter seemed like a good idea at the time, it certainly didn't pay off in the long run.

Japan was full of paranormal creatures, yes, but these creatures chose to mostly blend in with humans and not to cause trouble. And when, finally, some youkai decided to go rogue, there were enough amateur hunters willing to get themselves killed that it usually turned more into a race between them than a real hunt. Granted, most of them didn't last long, but the few professionals made it hard to make a living off monster killing. People like Kallen Kozuki, who hated him with a passion since he tried to sever her head two years prior.

Long story short, Kallen turned out to be a much better teacher about all things strange and creepy than Todoh, and Suzaku had to seriously rethink his beliefs about vampires and their eventual off-springs.

(To be fair, it wasn’t his fault that Kallen had been the first vampire he saw in five years since his father's death, so _naturally_ he attacked her.)

That said, he wasn’t suddenly trustful towards vampires or other creatures of the night, but he understood that there could be some… exceptions. He met enough youkai to prove that.

And Kallen was a half-vampire anyway. That was probably the only reason why she wasn’t a murderous bitch. Not to mention she hated her own kind with a passion. _That_ had to say something.

But aside from her, the only ‘vampire’ he had met was Milly Ashford, and if the girl really turned out to be a vampire, then Suzaku would willingly let her drink his blood. The girl was just so _sunny_ that there was no chance that she could be a creature of the night, not even a pure-blood. Even if she constantly teased him about drinking his blood and about turning him into an immortal.

She had been called the Vampire Queen long before Suzaku joined Ashford, so she was just living up to the name. Yes, that was it. Suzaku refused to believe anything else.

Either way, for some reason vampires seemed to avoid Japan. Either that or they were just exceptionally good at hiding (and the few that could walk in the sun probably did just that). According to Kallen, most of them ‘spent their long and miserable lives’ in Britannia or in the EU, and didn’t like to venture into lands ruled by other supernatural species. Which, in the case of Japan, meant youkai.

Suzaku had once seen a Kitsune biting her teeth into a Werewolf. Yeah, he got the racial differences.

But returning to the matter at hand. Monster hunting didn’t pay as much as he’d like, and he needed money to afford his apartment. That was why he found himself exiting the small coffee shop, with hands in his pockets and a heavy sigh. The job interview… didn’t go well. In retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have applied for a job in a coffee shop when he didn’t know a thing about coffee, but he was kind of desperate. The last income of money he had was two months ago, and he really had to hurry if he still wanted to have a place to live.

Walking through the park, Suzaku sat on a bench and waited. When he was younger, he used to go out in the dark every night, looking for stray youkai or other monsters to show up and kill. It took a lot of time for him to finally learn that not all of them were necessarily bad and deserved to die.

Now that he knew most of the spots that youkai liked to gather in, he knew where to go to avoid them. That was one of those places. In all the time Suzaku had been coming here, never once had happened anything strange. No mysterious breezes, no sudden giggling, nothing.

That was why the sudden scream was so unexpected.

Suzaku shot to his feet, running in the direction of the commotion. Absentmindedly, he patted the comforting weight of his gun. While bullets weren't able to kill most of the monsters, they certainly could slow them down. That, and besides the few charms, the gun was his only weapon at hand. He couldn't just carry a katana around, and it's not like he met monsters on regular basis anyway.

The sight that greeted him at the scene was something that made him momentarily pause. It wasn’t, as he assumed, an attack caused by a supernatural creature- the participants seemed to be human.

Still, humans or not, one of them looked about ready to kill the other, so Suzaku wasn’t going to stand idle.

The larger man, from what Suzaku could see in the dark, had the other pinned against a tree, with one hand closed around his throat and the other holding a knife at his neck. He was saying something, but Suzaku wasn’t able to understand the words. It didn’t matter though. What mattered was stopping this here and now.

Sprinting to the tree, Suzaku shouted: “Hey!”, only to have to immediately dodge a knife sent flying his way.

The man, who had orange spiky hair, slowly turned to him and the Japanese boy felt all breath leave his lungs. A pair of blood-red eyes gazed up at him accompanied by a feral grin, making his blood freeze.

“Oooh, looks like we got company,” the vampire grinned, reaching to his belt for another knife and twirling it between his fingers. All the while his hold on the other man’s throat didn’t budge an inch. “And a human, no less. Do you mind if I entertain him for a moment, highness?”

It looked like he was mostly talking to himself, but Suzaku didn’t pay much attention to his words. A vampire. A real, bloodthirsty vampire. After all these years, he had finally run into a vampire, and… he was completely unprepared. The only way to kill a vampire for good was to sever his head, and to do that he needed his sword. Bullets would slow him down only for that long.

The vampire finally released its victim and the person thumped to the ground, clutching at his throat. He didn’t seem to be immediately dying, but Suzaku definitely didn't like what he saw- the front of his shirt was drenched in blood. Still, there wasn't time to try to help him- he'd need to take care of the monster first.  Drawing his gun, Suzaku fired four shots at the man.

The vampire stumbled back, his face creasing in surprise and confusion. Then he threw his head back and laughed a raw, grinding sound that made Suzaku grit his teeth in anger.

“Looks like the prey is fighting back! How amusing!” He then threw another two knives in Suzaku’s direction, and, not being able to avoid two at once, the Japanese felt one of them grazing his skin.

Then the vampire was in front of him, and only hours of sparring with Kallen made him able to avoid his next punch. He was rewarded with a momentary surprise, but his satisfaction was short-lived- the next thing he knew, he was flying backward and his body hit the ground hard.

Suddenly he was again a ten-year-old in front of his old house, watching his father and the other men get killed. Back then, it took 5 grown up and trained men to take down that vampire, and three of them had died. Now, he was alone with no useful weapons, and he was going to die.

One part of him was okay with that. It was that part that always blamed himself for his father's death, even though on some intellectual level he knew that he had nothing to do with it. If he hadn't returned to the house at the moment he did...

The other part, however, rebelled against the idea of letting that particular monster take his life.

It was that part that made him grab the abandoned knife laying next to him and plunge it right through the vampire's neck just as he bent down over his body.

The man recoiled, actually stumbling back and gaping at him in surprise, so Suzaku didn't waste any more time, once again drawing his gun and firing a few shots at the man's head.

The force of the impact made the vampire trip, so Suzaku shot to his feet and pulled the knife out of the man's neck and plunged it right into his heart. The man gave a gurgling sound and his body jerked before becoming still.

He wasn’t dead, Suzaku knew. Despite what the legends said, a stake through the heart wasn’t enough to kill a vampire, and he didn’t use a stake anyway. It would, however, put him out of commission for long enough to hopefully get out of here and call for help. He wasn't going to test his luck- gods knew the only reason he was still alive was because the vampire wasn't anticipating any real resistance.

Breathing heavily, Suzaku suddenly remembered another important detail- the man the vampire had tried to strangle before (…and why was he trying to strangle him anyway? Wasn’t it, like, counter-productive? It’s not like regular humans stood much chance against vampires anyway. But never mind). Turning quickly on his heels, Suzaku yelped when he was met with a pair of purple eyes right in front of his face.

“Agh,” Suzaku choked, taking a few steps back to put more space between the two of them. How did he not hear the man approaching? "Y-you startled me. Sorry.”

The man blinked a few times, and Suzaku had that time to take in his appearance. He was quite skinny, with blue shirt splashed with blood draped over his shoulders and black slacks. His hair was raven black and his skin was so pale it looked almost white in the faint light. He seemed to be around his age, but Suzaku couldn’t be sure in this darkness.

“Sorry,” he eventually said, his eyes flicking from Suzaku to the bloodied body on the ground and back, and the Japanese boy could see two conflicting emotions in his gaze- complete bewilderment and something akin to... respect? “You… defeated him.”

Suzaku scratched his chin awkwardly, before his eyes widened and he remembered that the other man must be in a need of medical help. 

“Hey, are you alright—“ he stretched his hand towards the other man’s arm only to freeze when the other pulled back as if burned.

"I'm fine," he said hurriedly, adjusting his collar to cover more skin around his neck.

Suzaku frowned. “You might feel alright now, but you lost lots of blood. I’ll call an ambulance—“

"I'm fine," the man cut him off, this time more harshly. Then his expression softened, and he sent Suzaku a reassuring smile. "Look, there's no need to call an ambulance. I can get to the hospital just fine on my own."

Judging from his look, he must have realized that his reasoning wasn't very convincing, because he eventually crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at Suzaku. 

“Don’t you have something to do?” He asked, glancing pointedly in the direction of the still discarded body. Then he paused, as if considering something. "You… know that he's not dead, right?"

Suzaku’s lips drew into a hard line and he nodded grimly.  Then he realized what the question was, and he raised his head, meeting the other’s eyes with a frown. “Wait, you knew what he was, didn’t you?” In retrospect, maybe that was a stupid question. Even someone who didn’t know about the existence of monsters had to eventually get a clue when said monster tried to bite into your skin and drink your blood. Still, he had to make sure of something.

After a slight pause, the boy nodded, and Suzaku let out a breath of relief. Getting regular humans involved was always a mess, because they tended not to listen to common sense and _stay quiet._ If he already knew, maybe that wouldn’t be a problem.

“So you know it’s best not to tell anyone?”

The boy sent him a slight smile, and Suzaku got the strangest feeling that something was wrong but he couldn’t pinpoint what exactly.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on telling anyone,” he said, brushing some stray black hair from his face. Then his gaze went once again to the not-dead vampire and he frowned. “You _are_ going to kill him, aren't you?"

There was something unsettling in the way he said this. Most humans were usually squishy about killing, even when it came to killing the monsters that tried to kill _them_. They wanted it done but preferred not to know how and when. He… was absolutely calm, as if the last half an hour didn’t happen and he didn’t almost die at the hands of a vampire. It made Suzaku uneasy. “Yeah, don’t worry, he won’t be able to hurt you or anyone else again.”

A few moments passed before the man’s face broke into a smile, and Suzaku got a feeling that this time it was somewhat more genuine.

“I’m glad to hear this,” the man said, turning his back to leave but stopping at the last time. “Oh, and I guess I should thank you. For saving my life and all.”

For some reason, Suzaku suddenly felt embarrassed. It wasn't the first time he was thanked, but it seemed more… awkward? He wasn't exactly sure why. "Well, you're welcome, I guess. Think nothing of it."

The man sent him one last curious look before nodding and disappearing among the trees, and Suzaku found himself alone with a mauled body.

Now, to call Kallen or not…


	2. Chapter 2

Suzaku was running late, but at least this time he had an excuse. He found a job! …Okay, so maybe being a taxi driver wasn’t his life’s ambition, but it would at least let him pay the bills for the next few months.

Approaching the Clubhouse with an apology in mind, Suzaku paused when he noticed that most of the lights were turned off. Had the meeting ended already? That was strange. The student council meetings usually ran deep into the night, seeing as Milly insisted on holding them in the evenings, much to everyone's chagrin. According to her, people weren't productive enough during the day. Yeah, because they sure as hell were more productive during the _night._

Deciding to check anyway, Suzaku pushed the door and felt them give in. The building wasn’t entirely empty, it seemed. Either that or Milly just forgot to lock the door.

Entering the empty hallway, Suzaku hesitated, searching for any sign of human presence. The whole building was quiet, and standing there alone in the dark made him feel like an intruder. It didn’t look like anyone was inside either- a gathering of people was bound to make some noise, however big this place was. Just as he was about to turn back and return to his cramped apartment, a familiar voice reverberated throughout the building, making him jump: “Suzakuuu! Come heeere!”

Sighing loudly at his friend's antics, Suzaku trudged up the stairs, following the boisterous voice. It seemed that the meeting hadn't ended yet, after all. But why turn off all the lights, then? Were they staying the night? Or was Milly alone?

That last thought made him pause, and Suzaku halted mid-step.  Being alone with Milly was never a good idea. She tended to act kind of... strange. Of course, if he were to say that to Rivalz, the boy would call him a madman and try to lock him in a looney bin, but that didn't change Suzaku's opinion. Then again, maybe Suzaku was just biased. Witnessing his father's murder and encountering monsters on daily basis didn't make him very inclined towards people who _pretended_ to be monsters.

Not that he didn't like Milly. He just... preferred not to be alone with her. Yeah, that was it.

Still, if he turned back now, she'd just have him do extra work tomorrow. Considering his newfound job, that wasn't preferable at all. What was worse, a few minutes alone with Milly or a few hours of extra work probably _with Milly_?

Defeated, Suzaku resumed his walk.

The door to the Student Council room stood slightly ajar, and a dim light was sipping through the gap. Suzaku didn't hear any noises from inside, which only served to strengthen his conviction that Milly was alone. Taking a deep breath, Suzaku pushed the door and entered the room--

...only to be immediately enveloped in a bone-crushing hug.

„M-Milly," Suzaku stuttered, trying to pry away the wandering hands that seemed to be all over his body, „I-I can't breathe!"

„Su-za-ku," the blonde sing-songed, leaning close to his ear. „Where-have-you-been?"

Something in her voice made him shudder, and Suzaku redoubled his efforts to free himself from her grasp.

„Ah, sorry Milly. I was going to call you, but my phone battery went dead, and..." Suzaku trailed off, realizing that the blonde wasn't really paying attention to his words.

„Mmm," Milly murmured, trailing her finger gently across his cheek. „It's good that you realize your mistake. Now..." she bent closer to his neck, her breath ghosting over his skin and making Suzaku sweat. „It's time for the punishment~"

Just as Suzaku was thinking about a witty comeback while internally trying not to panic, a new voice spoke up and made him almost jump out of his skin: „Really, Milly, do you want to kill him? He looks like he can't breathe."

Milly didn't loosen her grip on Suzaku's shirt, nor did she let him turn around, but he could almost _see_ the pout in her voice as she spoke the next words. „But Suzaku doesn't mind. Do you, Suzaku?"

The japanese boy suddenly found himself staring straight into her big blue eyes, which looked about ready to burst into tears at any moment.

Well, _that_ at least he didn't believe. „I really, really do,” he said flatly, disentangling himself from the blonde's grasp. This time she didn't stop him.  Finally free, Suzaku took a deep breath and turned around to face the unknown voice, only to blink a second later. „It's... you.”

To his credit, the stranger seemed as surprised as him. His head tilted, and he looked at Suzaku with curiosity in his eyes.

„Oh," he said, giving Suzaku a strange look. „You're that sla--, I mean _friend_ Milly was talking about?”

Suzaku sweatdropped. He was going to say slave, wasn't he? Turning around to give Milly a piece of his mind, the Japanese only scowled when the blonde winked at him. „Of all thi--”

„Of course he's my dear friend," Milly cut him off, bringing her hand to his head and ruffling his hair in a manner that only made him fume more. „But the question is, how do _you_ know each other?”

„We've run into each other two days ago," the other man said smoothly, drawing Suzaku's attention away from the Student Council President. „He's saved my life."

„Ooooh,” Milly's lips quirked up, and her face took on an expression that made Suzaku instantly wary. It usually meant trouble, especially for the Student Council members. „So _that's_ our knight in shining armor. I should've known!”

Between being embarrassed and angry, Suzaku had enough common sense to understand the meaning behind her words. Whipping his head around, he stared at the other man in silent question. _Did you tell her?_

Instead of answering, the man got up from the chair he was sitting on and slowly walked over to the pair, giving Suzaku a slight smile. „Oh yes. That man _was_ quite vicious. Wasn't it for you friend here, I'd probably lose a lot more than money back there.”

Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief. If he was mentioning money, it probably meant that he didn't tell her the whole story. The last thing he needed was Milly finding out about the existence of vampires.

„As I said, it was nothing," Suzaku quickly reassured. Being in the spotlight always made him a bit uncomfortable. „And anyway, how are you? Did you reach the hospital?" He _looked_ fine, but then again, so did he back then.

The other man shrugged, making Suzaku wince. Didn't his arm hurt or something?

„I'm fine,” he said. „I wasn't hurt that badly anyway,” he paused, tilting his head to the side. „And I don't think we've been introduced yet. You're Suzaku, right?”

Before Suzaku had any chance to respond, Milly jumped between them with a huge smile on her face and proclaimed: „Right! How could I forget! Suzaku, meet Lelouch Lamperouge! We're ooold friends,” she draped her arm over the other man's shoulders and sent Suzaku a smirk. „And Lelouch, this is Suzaku Kururugi! He's our resident Good Samaritan!”

Suzaku's eye twitched while Lelouch laughed. „Yes, I can believe that.”

„So," Milly released the black haired boy and clapped her hands cheerfully. „Since you're already acquainted, I'm sure you will be happy to see each other every day from now on!"

Suzaku blinked in confusion, while Lelouch went from amused to annoyed in one second. „Hell no.”

„Hell yes!” Milly chirped. „I already told you, Grandfather isn't going to let you stay here unless you attend the Academy.”

„Then I'll just stay at a hotel or something,” Lelouch crossed his arms over his chest and gave Milly a stubborn look.

Suzaku's gaze flicked between the two friends before he asked: „What's going on?”

Not giving the other boy a chance to speak, Milly brought a hand to her forehead and sighed dramatically. „See, Lelouch here asked me to let him stay at Ashford for some time while he's in Japan, but he refuses to go to school with us!"

„Why?" The question escaped Suzaku automatically, and he immediately flushed when he found himself at the center of attention of two pairs of attentive eyes. „I-I mean, you're about our age, right? You _should_ go to school, shouldn't you?"

Milly grinned, and Suzaku had a sinking feeling that he had just given her more ammunition.

„Exactly!" She exclaimed, sauntering over to her black haired friend. „You _are_ younger than me, after all! Skipping school like that, shame on you!” Milly wagged a finger in front of Lelouch's face which the boy quickly slapped away with an annoyed expression. „I'm right, aren't I, Suzaku?”

Lelouch narrowed his eyes at him and Suzaku found himself floundering for words. „U-uh, I-I don't know? I-I mean, skipping _is_ bad, but--”

„I was homeschooled,” Lelouch cut him off in a flat voice that brooked no argument. „I don't _need_ to attend school.”

„Oh," Suzaku suddenly felt stupid. „Well then, I guess--"

„Oh, don't be a spoilsport,” Milly pouted at the both of them. „School is _fun_. Just because you don't _need_ to, doesn't mean that you _can't_.”

„Yes, I'm sure it's very fascinating,” Lelouch said dryly. „Sitting in class _all day_ , listening to things you already know... What's not to like?”

Milly tsk-ed. „You're asking all the wrong questions. It's not about what _not_ to like, but about what to _like!”_

When Lelouch didn't seem impressed by her statement, Milly leaned closer to his ear and whispered something that Suzaku didn't hear. Whatever it was, it seemed to have some sort of an effect on the boy, because his scowl lessened and his expression turned slightly thoughtful. Purple eyes flicked between Suzaku and Milly, and after a moment of silent debate, Lelouch eventually declared: „The cons still outweigh the pros.”

„Oh, don't be like that," Milly seemed to be getting fed up with her friend's attitude. „There are lots of pros that you don't know about. I'm sure Suzaku will be happy to show you all of them."

It took Suzaku a moment to realize that the last part was directed at him, and when he did, all he could manage was: „Huh?"

„As a Student Council Member, it is your responsibility to show new students around and get them aquitanted with all of our facilities.”

_Since when?_ Suzaku wanted to ask but didn't. Instead, he said: „But isn't it problematic to transfer in the middle of the year?"

Milly waved her hand, completely disregarding the matter.

„My grandfather is the headmaster, this won't be a problem at all!” She looked Suzaku straight in the eyes. „So, what do you say? It won't be a problem for you, will it?”

„Uh...” Actually, it _would_ be a problem, what with his new job and all, but then again, refusing would be rude, so...

„Milly, you're clearly imposing on him. You shouldn't force him to do something he doesn't want t," Lelouch seemed to have retreated to his earlier  'absolutely no' attitude, and for some reason, that sent a pang down Suzaku's chest.

„N-no, it's fine!” Suzaku waved his hands frantically in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. „I'm fine with that!” Come to think of it, the boy was probably scared of wandering alone after that vampire's attack, and that was why he was seeking shelter at Milly's school. If that was the case, then it was basically Suzaku's duty to help him adjust to normal life again.

„See?” Milly grinned, patting Lelouch on the back. „He's fine with that.”

Lelouch still didn't seem entirely convinced, so the blonde clasped her hands together and took on a pleading look. „Look, one week, alright? You will attend the classes for one week, and if after that you'll still want to quit, I won't stop you. I promise. Okay?”

Lelouch hesitated for a few more moments before eventually giving a defeated sigh. „Fine, one week. And if I quit after that, you'll still let me stay in the Clubhouse?"

Milly nodded enthusiastically.

„Yup," she piped, before her eyes narrowed and she smirked. „Of course, during that time, you will help in the Student Council Club.”

Lelouch winced and Suzaku suddenly felt sympathetic. If he already knew Milly, then he probably knew what to expect of her. He wouldn't be surprised if Lelouch was already regretting his decision to stay.

„So, if that's settled," Milly intertwined her fingers together and beamed. „I'm going to ask Grandfather to put you in the same class. Suzaku, your duties start tomorrow!" She sing-songed and winked at him.

Lelouch rolled his eyes and gave Suzaku an apologetic smile. „Sorry for that, I guess.”

Suzaku quickly shook his head.

„No, no, as I said, it's fine,” he assured. „And it's probably for the best if you stay around Ashford for now. It's probably one of the safest places in Tokyo, for some reason. Not that Tokyo is that dangerous. It really isn't, but...”

Lelouch stopped his babbling with an outstretched hand and a raised eyebrow.

„I'm sure it's fine," he said firmly, then paused, as if considering something. Suddenly the corners of his lips turned downwards and his whole posture deflated somehow. „Though I wouldn't want to stay here _all_ the time. I've never been to Tokyo before. But..."

The Japanese boy immediately felt bad for suggesting that.

„I can show you around!" He suggested, then blushed. „I mean, if you want? I can show you which areas are better to avoid." Surely, if they were together then he would feel safer?

Lelouch seemed to perk up at that. „Really? That'd be great!”

Suzaku opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a long drawl coming from Milly.

„Yeees, do keep our dear princess safe,” she smirked, twirling a lock of blonde hair between her fingers. „We wouldn't want anything to happen to him, would we?”

Lelouch snorted, picking up some abandoned bag from the floor and heading to the door. „Instead of being a bother, Milly, you could show me to my room."

„Mmm,” Milly made to follow him but paused by Suzaku on her way out. Her long fingers cupped the side of his chin, and Suzaku found himself staring straight into icy blue eyes. „Thanks for the help, Suzaku,” she mused, her lips dangerously close to his. „I suppose the meeting is adjourned.”

Before Suzaku had any chance to respond (not that he knew what to say), Milly drew apart and sent him a cheerful smile.

„I hope you won't tarnish the Student Council's reputation with a poor performance! I'm counting on you!" She winked. „Oh, and do keep Lelouch from sleeping in class, would you? He's _terrible_ at that.” And with that, she disappeared behind the door.

At a loss for words, Suzaku sighed. _So much for my free time..._

Somehow, he didn't mind that much.


	3. Chapter 3

Suzaku found out what Milly had meant by „keep Lelouch from sleeping in class” first thing in the morning.  After being introduced to class and taking his seat at one of the desks, Lelouch opened some random textbook, propped his head up on an elbow, and promptly fell asleep.  Not only that, he did it so skillfully that no one, not even the teacher, noticed. Suzaku himself realized that something was wrong only when all the other students started taking notes and his newest “charge” remained unmoving.

“Hey, Lelouch,” Suzaku started, feeling only slightly uncomfortable at calling someone he barely knew by their given name.  Years at Ashford  made him used to the Britannian culture, despite his strictly Japanese upbringing. “Aren’t you, you know, going to take notes?”

The Britannian boy twitched, turning his head in Suzaku’s direction and blinking at him with large violet eyes.  “Notes about what?”

Suzaku stared at him disbelievingly.

“Did you hear a single word the teacher said?” He asked. When Lelouch only shrugged and covered his mouth to conceal a yawn, Suzaku’s jaw hung open. “You… you were sleeping, weren’t you?”

“I hate mornings,” was the muttered response. Suzaku found himself torn between annoyance, exasperation, and some reluctant awe. _He_ never managed to sleep unnoticed during class.

“Just don’t do it again,” he eventually muttered. Lelouch looked at him seriously and nodded, before focusing on the book in front of him.

It was fifteen minutes later when Suzaku realized that he never started writing.

* * *

 “Suzaku,” Shirley whispered conspiratorially, leaning against his desk. “You know him, don’t you? The new student. I saw you two talking earlier.”

Suzaku looked between Shirley and Lelouch, whose sleep was finally interrupted by noisy classmates. The ringing of the school bell was like a signal for everyone to start bothering the new student, and right now his desk was surrounded by half of their class. The only one who wasn’t even remotely interested was Kallen, who in turn used that time to take a nap.

Suzaku felt like banging his head against the wall.

Lelouch himself seemed only slightly annoyed by the attention, though Suzaku wasn’t sure whether it was the onslaught of questions or the interruption of his sleep that bothered him more.

“What school did you attend before?”

“None.”

“What’d you mean, none? You had to go to school before!”

“I was homeschooled.”

“Oooh, cool! Where?”

“Pendragon.”

And on and on. Suzaku actually found himself listening in, though most of the answers were short and cryptic- the only new fact he discovered was that Lelouch was from Pendragon, which wasn’t really that surprising. Milly was from Pendragon too.

He decided to focus on the one question actually directed at _him_.

“You could say we ran into each other,” Suzaku said, taking his eyes off Lelouch. “And Milly introduced us yesterday.”

Shirley crinkled her nose, looking at Suzaku suspiciously. “Yesterday? But you weren’t at the council meeting.”

“Oh, yeah, about that—“

“Suzaku!”

Suzaku’s head swirled around to stare at the crowd of girls (and boys) surrounding Lelouch. Some of them were still focused on the new student, but the rest seemed to have switched their attention from Lelouch to Suzaku. “Um, yes?”

One of the girls, the one who called his name earlier, gave him a wide-eyed look and said, “Lelouch just told us how you incapacitated that mugger! That was very brave of you!”

“Yes!” Another girl chimed in. “And he had a knife! He almost killed you both!” She turned back to Lelouch with a questioning gaze. “He did have a knife, didn’t he?”

“Oh, yes. He had many knifes.”

The girls shuddred in unison while Suzaku shot  Lelouch a disapproving look. Even if he left out the more gruesome details, Suzaku didn’t appreciate being at the center of attention.

The Britannian replied with a smile, completely disregarding Suzaku’s sour look.

“’Ran into each other’, huh?” Rivalz commented from behind Shirley’s back. “Care to elaborate on that?”

“Maybe another time,” Suzaku said quickly, noticing that Shirley was already opening her mouth in what could only be a lecture. “The break’s almost over.”

And, to Suzaku’s immense relief, he was right.

* * *

“And this is gym,” Suzaku pointed to the large glass doors that gave view to the massive hall inside.

Lelouch stared at them for a few moments before turning to Suzaku with a raised eyebrow. “I assume you spend a lot of time here?”

The Japanese scratched his neck, looking fondly in the hall’s direction. “Not really. I don’t have that much time after class, so it’s only P.E. for me.”

“P.E.?” Lelouch looked at him in confusion.

Suzaku blinked a few times, trying to decide whether he was joking or not. When Lelouch’s expression didn’t change, he opened his mouth in slight disbelief. “You don’t know what P.E. is?”

That earned him an annoyed look. “Something to do with physics?”

Suzaku’s mouth involuntarily quirked, which only seemed to fuel his new friend’s ire.

“Well, what it is, then? Don’t leave me in suspence,” the other boy snapped. Suzaku raised his hands in a defensive manner.

“Alright, alright. P.E. stands for Physical Education. You know, basketball, volleyball, et cetera.I guess that if you’ve been homeschooled all your life you could’ve not known this. “

Lelouch’s face scrunched up in distaste at his words. “Is this some sort of a club? Milly said there were lots of clubs in Ashford.”

Suzaku titled his head to the side, giving the other a curious look. Was Lelouch really that oblivious? “No. It’s mandatory for all of the students, just like maths or biology.”

The look he received in return was one full of disbelief and disgust. “You can’t be serious.”

“I assure you I am.”

The Britannian boy clenched his fists, looking angrily at the glass that separated them from the gym. “I knew Milly had an ulterior motive. Stay for a week, she said. It will be fun, she said. If only I knew, I’d never agree to this.”

Suzaku’s eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. “Aren’t you exaggerating? You might not like sports, but it’s only two hours per week. You won’t _die_ because of that.”

Lelouch glanced doubtfully at the door. “I woudn’t be so sure of that.”

Not being able to help himself, Suzaku rolled his eyes. “You were almost killed by a vampire and you’re afraid of P.E. classes?”

“That wasn’t in the _sun_. And besides, he wasn’t trying to _kill_ me,” he said dismissively, then froze . Suzaku was staring at him with open mouthed expression.

“What?!”

The Britannian backtracked immediately, raising his hands in surrender. “I _mean_ he wanted to feed off me. There’s no guarantee he wanted to kill me!”

 _And that’s why he was pressing a knife to your neck?_ Suzaku thought disbelievingly but didn’t say it out loud. Instead, he said, “Do you know what’s the ratio of humans surviving a vampire’s attack?”

Lelouch opened his mouth to answer but Suzaku cut him off before he had a chance to speak. “0,01.”

That seemed to offend him somehow, because Lelouch crossed his arms over his chest and gave him a sour look. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

“Trust me, it is.”

“And where is that data coming from? Vampire Hunters TV?”

Now it was Suzaku’s turn to be offended. “I have my sources!”

“Right,” Lelouch said mockingly, leaning against the glass door. “Do these sources contribute of people who taught you about vampires?”

Suzaku sent him a suspicious look. “Yes, why?”

“Ah, that explains it.”

“And what is _that_ supposed to—“

“Oh my!” Lelouch exclaimed suddenly, reaching to his pocket and taking out a black phone. “My sister calls. I need to pick it up.”

“But it doesn’t ring—“

“It’s muted.”

“Oh, I see. But how did you know—“

“Vibrations.”

“Right.”

They stared at the phone for a few more moments. When Lelouch didn’t make any moves, Suzaku finally asked, “Aren’t you going to pick up?”

“She already hung up.”

“Oh.”

A few more seconds, then—

“Aren’t you going to call her back?”

“No.”

“Oh.”

Just when Suzaku was starting to freak out _,_ Lelouch spun on his heel and marched in the direction of the school building. “So, what’s next? The stables?”

That threw Suzaku off guard and he automatically followed after the black haired boy. “Oh, yeah, I guess. Or I could show you the swimming pool?”

“Are you going to swim?”

“Um, no?”

“Stables it is, then.”

Suzaku shot him a confused look before shaking his head. He was quickly learning that unless he wanted to get a headache, it was better to leave some things unsaid. Still, the silence was getting uncomfortable, so he said the first thing that came to his mind, “So, you have a sister?”

Judging by the glare Lelouch sent his way, he hadn’t mastered the art of leaving things unsaid just yet.

 


End file.
